


Nightmare and Sunshine

by Neverever



Series: 2016 Cap-IM Tiny Reverse Bang ficlets [2]
Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Nightmares, Presumed Dead, Prison, Tony Stark Has Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-12 19:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7946173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neverever/pseuds/Neverever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony loses everything when Thunderbolt Ross comes for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmare and Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the second round of the 2016 Cap/Iron Man Tiny Reverse Big Bang.
> 
> Art is by [Cazdinal](http://cazdraws.tumblr.com/) and is titled: [Salvation](http://67.media.tumblr.com/36e7bf0cb465cf15a9ddea3cfef750e1/tumblr_inline_o8ziorNdNc1qmb808_500.png).

His army of lawyers couldn’t stop Thunderbolt Ross from coming for him and the Iron Man suit. At first, that’s all Tony thought that the government wanted -- to get their hands on the armor. But sitting in a small windowless room surrounding by silent disapproving agents, he knew then that Ross wanted to take everything. His armor, his money, his company, his identity, everything.

Tony couldn’t stop Ross. No public trial -- just dragged from the Tower in the middle of night to somewhere.Tony couldn’t say where he was after they put the hood on him. Then Ross’ people put a power dampening collar on him and handcuffs to match and dumped him in a cell. They monitored him so carefully to make sure that he couldn’t devise a way to escape or contact anyone.

The days dragged out with interrogations and begging and threats. Anything to break him. Tony spat back their insults, riposted with rigorous logic, ignored the petty stuff. He strutted like a king and stared down Ross when Ross tried to pry out his secrets. Tony knew people and he knew how to best defend himself.

But Tony dreaded the nights. He sat bolt upright on the hard cot in his room waiting for the images to wash over him. All the people killed by his weapons, all the misery caused by his work with Stark Industries. He knew by heart all the destruction he left behind in his wake when he made weapons and didn’t care about the consequences of who he sold them to.

He had chosen the path of redemption in life. He was struggling with making peace with his past. He was strong, he had made the choice to be better, he could handle that past.

What was killing him were the images and memories of everyone he had ever let down in his life. All of them. All the lies, betrayals, failures, every terrible bit of it. All playing in his mind over and over like a summer blockbuster movie in 3-D IMAX.

He failed his team in so many ways. Now they were dead because of it. Or they hated him so much that he was dead to them. Rhodey, Pepper, Sam, Bruce, Natasha, Clint, Thor, all gone like dust in the wind and childhood dreams.

And Steve, oh god, Steve. His memory was too hard to bear.

Those were Tony’s nights. He faced each morning a man gutted and wrecked. He didn’t fight when the agents came for him.

Ross said to him, staring him right in the eye, “You will die here, Stark and no one will care.” And Tony’s mind would replay the scene over and over again.

There was nothing left. Tony once had fire and fight in his soul and now he could barely remember ever having that courage that drove him to try to be a hero.

The agents dragged him to his cell and left him there. He nearly begged to be left to die in the interrogation room. Because he couldn’t face tonight. Because the last thing left to him was Steve and the memory of how he left Steve to die.

“Tony?”

Steve. His ghost in the cell. Ashamed, Tony could not face him.

“Tony.” Steve came closer.

Tony took a deep breath, shuddering. He refused to look at Steve. The last time he saw Steve -- he was beaten, broken, bloody. And dead. Very much dead and his sightless eyes boring into Tony.

He cried until he had no tears. And would never be able to cry again.

Ghost Steve walked closer. “Come on, Tony. We have to leave now,” he said gently.

Tony stared at the floor. He couldn’t see Steve, not as a ghost. Or worse a hologram or other trick pulled by Ross to give Tony’s sanity the final blow.

Steve in his Captain America uniform and outfitted with helmet and shield sat down on the bed. Tony registered the bounce on the bed, which meant that ‘Steve’ had weight and existence. So, a trick from Ross, not a ghost. Steve put his arm around Tony’s waist. “Tony, this isn’t real.”

Tony shook his head and tried to pull away. Ross had sunk lower than he thought possible to try this.

“Please listen to me, Tony. Your life is in danger -- you’re dreaming all this and we’re in your bedroom in the Tower. If you don’t come with me, you’ll be lost in, um, the dream dimension. Or whatever Dr. Strange calls it.”

It sounded like Steve, it smelt like Steve, it felt like Steve. Tony involuntarily looked over and locked eyes with Steve. Those beautiful blue eyes full of concern and worry. Steve’s eyes.

“Come on, Tony, walk out with me.”

Tony couldn’t ignore the command in that voice. He was up on his feet before he could talk himself out of it.

“You’re doing great, Tony.”

Steve held out his hand and Tony grabbed it and held on for dear life. The hand was warm, large, solid. Steve’s hand. His real hand. Tony knew the feel and weight of that hand in his. A lifeline. He followed stumbling and shuffling and blinking as he stepped through the open cell door. The collar and handcuffs melted away.

And he rubbed his eyes and there he was sitting on his own bed in his own bedroom in his own Tower.

Steve was sitting next to him on the bed. In jeans and a blue t-shirt, blond hair mussed up, with the scent of the old-fashioned aftershave he favored. “Tony, are you okay?”

The prison cell, Ross, the faceless relentless agents, all gone. And Steve came for him, came to rescue him. He leaned into Steve drawing on the solid strength of Steveness.

“What the hell is going on?” Tony said. One minute he was in the depths of despair in a prison cell, now he was back home. Like nothing happened at all.

But Steve didn’t answer. He was talking into the comm -- “I’ve got Tony. He seems okay right now. What about the others? Good. Thanks, Stephen. I’ll check in later.”

Tony poked him. “What the hell is going on?”

“Nightmare -- one of Dr. Strange’s enemies -- attacked the Tower. I think he’s a demon, I’m not sure, Strange wasn’t clear when he told me -- but Strange said he lives off the strength of nightmares.”

Tony felt the sudden pull of the darkness of the prison cell. He shuddered again. Steve put his warm arms around, pulling him close, running his hand up and down his back. “You’re safe, Tony.” He kissed the top of Tony’s head.

“You know my nightmares -- you know that’s not the problem.” He could still hear the whispers in the corners of his mind.

“You’re a good person, Tony, always have been,” Steve said firmly. Like he’d fight to death any person who would say differently.

“You came for me --”

“As soon as I knew what was going on.”

Tony allowed himself to relax in Steve’s arms finally. “So, magic.”

“Yes.”

“Yuck. double yuck. Triple yuck.”

“I wouldn’t disagree on that point.”

“Rotten way to spend our third date,” Tony said. They had a date, that’s right. Now he hated that Nightmare guy.

“We could order in.”

Tony looked around his bedroom. Despite all the luxury and floor to ceiling windows, the room still felt like the cell. And the pain of his failures still lingered, but was slowly melting away under the bright sun of Steve’s smiles, warmth, and faith in him. “No, I want to go out. Even if it’s a late night diner. Anywhere not here.”

Steve stood up and pulled Tony up with him. “Good enough for me.”

“Wait, what about you?”

Steve closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. “I dreamed that I was frozen again.” His hand squeezed Tony’s tighter. “I woke and I had lost everything again.”

“Ouch. And Strange shook you out of it?”

Steve shook his head. Then smiled. “You -- you showed up in my dream and told me that I was dreaming.”

“That couldn’t be me -- I was stuck in my nightmare world.”

Steve hugged him, pressing his head against Tony’s. “I dreamt that you came to rescue me -- that’s as good as the real you.”

“That’s, um, something.” Love and awe washed over Tony.

He kissed Tony’s temple. “It’s something alright.”

Tony’s eyes shone brightly. If asked, he would deny the tears springing to his eyes. “It’s something alright.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

badge by runningondreams


End file.
